I must say this: I am constantly amazed by the accomplishments of all of the members of Innovative Fitness. By constantly pursuing greater and greater challenges many of our members have accomplished things that they may have never seen themselves doing at earlier points in their lives. One such member is Michael McCarthy.
In his time with Innovative Fitness Mike has accomplished several “firsts”. He completed his first marathon, something he said he never could have seen himself doing previously and, more recently, he completed his first triathlon: The Peach Classic Penticton Triathlon.
In preparation for the Peach Classic, Mike dedicated a great deal of his time to training. Most days you could find him logging miles on his bike, out for a run, or swimming laps at Kits pool in order to get himself ready. On top of the “event specific” training, Mike also trained with the IF coaches 2 times per week in the gym. In the weight room the main focus was building strength to support the specific sports of the triathlon as well as balancing out his body to ensure all the time working the same muscles during training did not result in major imbalances within his body.
Going into the Triathlon Mike was feeling strong and ready to take on this great challenge. Of course, as with any first-time challenge, there are certain obstacles that must be overcome. For Mike there were a few specific learning points.
First, Mike notes that he under-estimated his fitness level in the water: expecting not to be one of the stronger swimmers, Mike positioned himself close to the back of the pack. Mike would later indicate that this was a critical error for him as he found himself held back by those in front of him.
The bike ride was the second learning point: “be sure to tune your bike to the terrain you will be riding”, Mike says. Mike’s bike was perfectly tuned for him… If the terrain had been flat. Given the rolling landscape of the ride that particular tuning was not completely appropriate.
The final learning point for Mike was on the subject of proper fueling. During the run Mike was feeling fairly low energy. He indicated that he likely did not plan his fueling properly and that the earlier errors may have played a role in that. Had he been able to swim at the pace he planned, rather than being held back by slower swimmers in front, and had his bike been tuned appropriately for the lay of the land Mike likely would have had a more efficient race and his fueling may have been bang-on.
When we asked Mike what he plans to do next he said that he wants to take what he learned from his first triathlon and apply it to his preparation for his next one, in order to improve his overall time.
When we look at the fact that Mike is an incredibly busy business professional who often finds himself working 14 hour days, his ability to prioritize his training and always ensure that he is making time to take care of himself physically speaks volumes to his character.
Regardless of the couple of set-backs, Mike is thrilled to officially be a triathlete, and all of his coaches at Innovative Fitness could not be more proud of him and we cannot wait to see how much he improves for his next big destination.
Sean Allt,
Club Manager
Innovative Fitness – Vancouver
p. 604-609-5450 / c. 604-314-8627
www.InnovativeFitness.com
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